According to the data, a mere 272,000 children were born in Poland in 2023, marking a drastic 30 percent drop in births over the past six years, down from over 400,000 in 2017. This decline is attributed to an aging population and a significant decrease in the number of women of prime childbearing age.
Currently, only 475,000 Polish women are around the age of 30, a critical age for childbirth, a number that has plummeted from over 660,000 a decade ago. This, in turn, suggests that by 2027, depopulation will be inevitable, with the number of births falling below 200,000. The decline is projected to continue, with expectations that the number will shrink further to approximately 340,000 in the next 10 years.
Moreover, the results suggest that even if fertility rates were to double among 30-year-old women in the coming decade, the birth numbers would remain nearly unchanged due to the diminishing number of potential mothers in Poland’s birth rate.
For Poland, population decline means higher taxes and retirement ages in the coming years.
Ewa Dadalska, head of a maternity ward in the town of Wolomin, just east of Warsaw, reflects on the drastic change in deserted delivery rooms. “Just five years ago, it would have been unthinkable to have these empty rooms,” she said. “At the moment, almost every day these empty beds just stand and wait for potential mothers.”
Factors such as cultural shifts, fear of childbirth, health concerns for the child, fertility issues, climate change fears and challenges in finding a suitable partner amid political polarization and the influence of social media contribute to the decline in birth rates.
Agnieszka Szpila, a writer and activist with two severely disabled children, sheds light on the fears of prospective mothers.
“Women are extremely afraid of being stuck in my situation. The only person a [disabled] child can rely on is the mother. Not the society, not the country, not the system,” she said. “Until my children are 18, they have school. But then, they don’t have school. They will be sitting with me until the end of their lives. I can’t live my life in the way I imagined,” she said.
Meanwhile, others attribute the decline to economic factors, including higher interest rates, soaring housing prices and inflation. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine further exacerbate the situation, discouraging family expansion.
Learn more about the demographic crisis affecting countries all over the world at PopulationCollapse.com.
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